


Redemption

by Maisteacup



Series: Returning Home [1]
Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Exorcised Josh Washington, Fluff, Half-Wendigo Josh Washington, Josh Lives, M/M, Psychological Drama, References to Depression, exorJosh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:55:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27536380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maisteacup/pseuds/Maisteacup
Summary: It's been a year since Chris has left the mountain without Josh. When Chris returned to the barn, Josh was gone. He was devastated but his anger from the suffering Josh had caused gave him a sense of justification in not being able to see Josh again. How would he have reacted? Angry that he hadn't died, happy, or even guilty? Maybe it was Chris' unnerving emotions, or just dumb luck, but when he gets a knock at the door, he finds a familiar face on the other side.
Relationships: Chris Hartley & Josh Washington
Series: Returning Home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017595
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. Cold... and Dark

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story, please enjoy. ^o^

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh lives on the mountain. It's been a year, but what is it that drives the memories from his head?

All around Josh was the sounds in the woods. The deep howling of the wind, the high pitched sounds of the nocturnal animals, and some maybe not-so-nocturnal animals. He crawled into the entrance of the mine after a successful hunt in the woods. Remnants of blood on his hands and the lower parts of his face.

It is dark and cold in the mine, there is no light and no warmth. But Josh was not cold in the slightest. He had not been cold for a while, when was it? The last time Josh had been cold? When he felt a chill rush through his body. How long had Josh been on the mountain? All alone. Unless you count the ever-presenting danger of another wendigo up on the mountain as well.

_“Wait? Another Wendigo? But- I’m not a wendigo, I’m human!”_

_“Human?”_

_“I don’t belong here!”_ Josh clashed his hands against the sides of his head, screeching incoherent sounds.

_“Where IS here, exactly? And where is it you don’t belong, if not here?”_

A strange voice echoed in Josh’s mind. It wasn’t his voice, it was more mute and filled with incoherent sounds following each word. Like a poor quality speaker.

_“Why can’t I think of anything?! What’s happened to me?! My head is pounding like a drum! Someone save me! Chris!”_ Josh stopped moving and sat in silence and dropped his hands to his sides.

_“Chris? Why do I know that name? Who is that?”_

_“Chris? What is Chris? You need no one but yourself. You are nothing, and will never be anything.”_ The voice in his mind persisted, keeping Josh’s fear intact like a sadistic drill sergeant.

He repeated the name in his head over and over till his head pounded against itself in excruciating pain. Finally after repeating the name hundreds of times, a memory came to mind. A memory of a man heavily dressed, blonde hair and a pair of glasses. They were laughing, together.

_“Josh, bro! What are your plans after high school? Got any? Any at all? … What, nothing? Nothing at all? You’re telling me you don’t have any clues? Sounds just like you man! Hopefully you figure something out soon, cause we’re seniors now, we gotta get that grind! You can’t bum off your parents forever. You’ll have to move out and become your own guy sometime you know?”_

He’s a nerdy, yet charming guy. Always nice, helping anyone he can. One of the nicest people you’d ever meet. There were so many memories connected with this one person, it seemed to overflow. Never a dull moment with him. Always laughing, arguing and crying, together. _“Where is he right now? What could he be doing?”_

There were others too, but it’s so hard to piece together. _“Was there a life I knew before this? Is there something I’m missing? What is it?”_ Once again there is an aching pain in Josh’s head, so he stopped thinking so much about it. About the pain in his head.

Josh stands up, a little crooked, and walks towards the opening to the mines. He walks awkwardly on his feet, almost like a newborn. Reaching the entrance to the cave, he rests his legs and sits down. He looked up towards the sky and saw the moon. It was a full moon tonight, and the brightest it’s been for a long time in that cold and desolate place.

It started with him staring at the sky, and then looking down to himself. There’s something different he notices, but can’t quite place any correctness in his thinking.

His nails outgrown like they were the claws of a beast. Skin so pale, you’d think Josh was a corpse who had just walked right out of the cemetery. And his clothes; if they could even be called clothes any more.

Looking over at himself Josh tried to utter some speech, but to his immediate surprise, only chattering and chirping escaped his throat. He lifted his hand to his throat and was quite puzzled.

_“Why won’t any sound come out? Is something the matter with me?”_

Lost in thought, his mind grows ever so fuzzy. He became unable to think in clear sentences any longer. Slowly he returns to a four-limbed stance and crawls outside the mine.

Josh’s next meal, perhaps?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was initially inspired by another incomplete story, but I cannot remember the name. So if you ever come by something similar, please let me know! (✿◡‿◡)


	2. Surprise Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris lives his life day by day, still haunted by what happens on the mountains. And Josh, finding a newfound interest in leaving the mountain.

Time had been different since the ‘accident’ up on the mountain. It was slow and rigid, so slow it was like time had been mocking Chris.

In the beginning, Chris and whoever chose to, went to therapy. However, the therapy only helped Chris so much, and there was only so much money he could put towards his mental health. Life ain't cheap, you know?

There were some long desperate attempts to come together again, however everyone just went their own separate ways. At first, some of them kept in contact, but as time went by, everyone had their fallout. Even Sam, who was the large connecting piece to the group.

After a long day at work, Chris slumps into his car and lets out a heavy sigh, “Another day of work, done and over with. My hours were cut again, should I get another job?”

He scratched the back of his head and groaned, putting the key in the ignition and pulling out of the parking lot. Heading to the apartment he called  _ home _ . It didn’t feel like home, it was dark and cramped, even though it was quite sizable. The dark space made it feel like the world was against him, like nothing was worth saving. 

He was miserable.

~

Chris turned the key into his apartment and flicked the lightswitch on. As light flooded the room, so did the mess that had also enveloped the space.

“Looks like I need to straighten the place up, looks like a dump in here.” he chuckled as he made his way to the kitchen to find himself something he could call ‘dinner.’

He opened the fridge and he was not at all surprised, “Wow, I just don’t have shit huh. Looks like I’ll have to go to the store.” He chuckles and shuts the fridge.

“Ah fuck it, I’ll go tomorrow. It’s so damn late anyway…” Chris sighed and poured him a glass of water.

Since he started living alone, there wasn’t much of anything or anyone for that matter, standing in his way of doing whatever he wanted or nothing he wanted.

Chris closed his eyes, and hummed. It wasn’t anything special, but his ex-therapist said it might calm his mind, a sort of meditation, if you will. The whistling helped, it really did, but it also made him feel a little sad.

He slumped into the couch and drifted asleep.

_ “Come on. I didn't do anything.” _

_ “Are you serious, bro?” _

_ “A goddamned murderer is what you are.” _

_ … _

_ “Can't we all just get along? OW! DAMMIT!” _

_ “ It's not right, nope, this is not how it's supposed to go down. You're just a bunch of bullies. You can't hang out a guy just to dry like this, guys. Huh? Not like– Not like you got the guts to really do anything about it, anyways!” _

Chris shook awake, sweating and panting heavily, “Wow, hadn’t had a dream like that in a while. Guess guilt really does stick to you.”

He raised his hand to his face, rubbing his tears away. A headache forming in the back of his head. “Maybe I’ll do the shopping today, rather than tomorrow.”

Making his decision, he puts his coat back on, heading for the door. With his hands on the doorknob, there’s a knock.

_ *thwok thwok* _

_ “Who? The hell?”  _ Chris glanced over at his clock, it was 7:48. He opened the door slowly, cautiously. When he opened the door completely, a semi-familiar face came into view.

“You? What the hell are YOU doing here? How the hell did you even find where I lived?!”

~

Memories flooding in like a tidal wave, and Josh was the bearer of the backlash. He was having more and more memories and with that, more headaches. On days when it was unbearable, he screeched loudly and clawed at the mine walls. And some, he simply passed out, the memories coming in a dream.

He was also thinking clearer, with more time. He was able to keep coherent thoughts and remember his days quite well. Unfortunately, with this, came an unrivaled fear of the wendigo. Usually, they never met, never even crossing paths. Maybe once in a while fighting over food, but nothing more. Though, recently, he sees one almost every day, lurking around in the shadows. Maybe they were starting to notice the difference in Josh, realizing that he was acting ‘strange.’

This made Josh quite panicked, his usually calm and collected ‘self’ was starting to deteriorate. And more memories and feelings he had forgotten filled the void in his mind. He became more aware of who he was and who he used to be.

One night, he vaguely remembered a house, one on the mountain.

_ “It’s close by, it has to be. These thoughts don’t seem to be fake, so there has to be a house somewhere around here too!” _

_ A house? Thoughts? You have no need for such trivial things. What are you doing here? WHAT WILL YOU DO IF THE FIND THE ANSWER, JOSH!” _

The strange and unrecognizable voice plagued Josh’s mind. Whenever he would think for himself, it echoed small nothings in his mind.

_ “JUST SHUT UP! YOU AREN’T REAL, YOUR JUST SOMETHING I CREATED IN MY HEAD! NOT REAL! ...not real-” _

A large house surrounded by a stone wall came into Josh’s view. It was the house in his memories. Quickly, Josh dropped to all fours and climbed over the wall, and into the house.

There was police tape, and on top of that, there was dust. No one had been there in a long time. But a lot of it seemed familiar to him, somehow.

Josh walked into one of the bedrooms. It was abandoned. The entire room and house looked almost as if someone was staying here but left quickly.

He smelled the air instinctively, the room harboring a familiar scent. In his view was a large overcoat, blue in color. The object was the source of the scent, very faint but definitely there. It was familiar and warm. He remembered the object of the scent was important to him, but he couldn’t remember why.

He grabbed up the coat and slipped it on; almost. With only one arm in the sleeve and the hood on his head, zipper up, he was satisfied. There was a door to another room next to him, so he opened it and peered inside.

There was a large mirror, showing Josh in full view.

His almost completely milky white eyes and his right eyelid deformed and scarred. Not to mention the left side of his lips and cheek. There was a large white scar, ripping into the otherwise uniformed grey tones. Teeth hanging outside his lip where there was nothing to cover them. Josh was lost in the mirror, looking at himself. Almost like looking at a stranger.

He snapped out of it when he caught a whiff of the same scent from the jacket, but different. Rather than being on the jacket, it floated in the air like a feather, threatening to leave if brushed by the wind.

_ “...Follow it- I got to follow it…” _ He was finally getting some answers and he was not going to lose them now.

His throat chattered quickly, with slight clicking and chirping sounds in between. Returning to all fours again, Josh made his way out a window and into the forest. 

Climbing up trees and running through the forest was taking too long. The scent was fading by the minute and he didn’t have time. Glancing around quickly, he noticed a paved road, practically in a straight line. He follows the road while keeping out of traffic's view until he sees the edge of the city.

He crawls around keeping out of eyesight, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. One woman though, was out during the night.

Crawling out in front of her, Josh glanced up and peered at her. She stood frozen and then screamed. “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME YOU CREEP!”

The loud voice pierced into his ears, caused him to lose his balance. He buckled over and scurried away from the woman, running into an alley.

_ “Scary… scary here.”  _ Low rumbled breathing entered and exited Josh’s mouth. He tucked his legs and hugged them, falling asleep.

~

When Josh woke up the sun was high in the sky. It was so bright, brighter than Josh had seen in a long time, almost blinding.

After remembering the night before, Josh decided that it probably wasn’t a good idea to crawl around in broad daylight. Only one person saw him, but if everyone on the block saw him? He didn’t even want to utter the thought.

He watched the people from the alley and then looked at himself.  _ “This- wrong.” _ Josh stated as he looked at the position of the jacket he wore. When he took his jacket off to re-adjust it, he also went to the liberty of ripping some of his ‘clothes’ so that he could cover his face.

After adjusting himself completely, he felt strangely confident and walked into the street. People looked at him, but no one yelled or paid too much attention, which eased his anxiety. So he returned to following the scent.

Unlike on the mountains, it was much easier to follow here. It wasn’t everywhere, but if the source was close, he could definitely tell.

~

For hours Josh followed the scent. When he came to a building, he noticed the scent was far stronger and followed it in complete earnest. When he got to the second floor, he noticed one door was especially fragrant. Both nervous and giddy, he approached the door, knocking hard, but not too hard.

He waited for a while and he thought maybe no one was there. Then, the door slowly creaked open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you continue to enjoy, and please remember, if you find the story similar to this, please tell me! I'd love to give the author of this credit for my inspiration! (＾Ｕ＾)ノ


	3. Why are You Here?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To see Chris for the first time in a year, Josh was giddy with excitement; but Chris didn't feel quite the same...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy chapter three, thank you for reading! (*￣3￣)╭

When Josh looked through the opened door he saw a very familiar face.

_ “Chris! Chris, it’s me! Remember? Me!”  _ Josh was giddy with excitement and tried to speak to him, but only weird sounds came from his throat.

“You? What the hell are YOU doing here? How the hell did you even find where I lived?!”

He tilted my head,  _ maybe he doesn’t recognize me?  _ He thought. Ignoring the questions, Josh hopped forward into the doorway and hugged him tightly.

_ “Chris! It’s me! Chris! I missed Chris!” _ He tried to speak again but only chatters and chirps escaped his lips.

“Dude, get the hell off of me, the hell is wrong with you?”

Josh let go of him and immediately looked around the room. It was all filled with Chris' scent. Every bit of it. The door slammed behind Josh, scaring him slightly. He peered over the couch toward the frustrated blonde tapping his finger on his arm.

“Josh, I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing or where you’ve been, and frankly, I don’t give a shit! The bullshit you pulled back at the mountain? That’s fucked man. None of us even talk anymore.” Chris threw his hands up and spoke in a higher, more frustrated tone, which caught Josh’s attention  _ very _ fast.

Josh quickly returned to Chris’ side and chattered,  _ “Chris, what- wrong? Why? Upset?” _

The sounds Josh makes are nothing like words at all. Just jumbled noises and chattering from his throat.

Chris throws him a confused, but still pissed look, “Why the hell are you doing that? Too afraid to speak to me or something? Where the hell have you been anyway? Not like it matters, since you just like to fuck with people! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!”

Flushed by his anger, Chris rips away the cloth covering Josh’s face. Josh was stunned, but only for a moment. He remembered the woman’s reaction toward him, and he quickly raised his hand to his face and looked away quickly. Not nearly quick enough though, for a split second Chris was able to see the long disgusting scar across Josh’s face, and the jagged teeth that hung out of his torn lips.

“What the fu-” Before Chris could finish his sentence Josh bolted. Since Chris was in front of the door, he made his way through the quickest exit he could think of, the window.

Chris stood there, completely stunned. “ _ Was that really Josh? What the hell happened? Was he not home? Had he been on the mountain this whole time?” _

Chris’ mind was full of questions but he pushed them all aside, he was still royally pissed that after everything Josh had pulled, he just pranced back into his life like he’d done nothing wrong.

He looked down at his hands and gripped the piece of cloth in his hands.

_ Wasn’t he coat he was wearing similar to the one he had last year? The same one he was wearing before all the shit went down? His feet too. He wasn’t wearing any shoes. What has Josh been doing this past year? WHy the hell does he look like that?! _

Frustrated and tired, Chris lays down to go to sleep,  _ “I’ll just go shopping tomorrow. Hopefully, this is all a horrible nightmare.” _

~

After Josh had jumped out of the window, he immediately seeked refuge in another alley. They were dark, and there were no people either. Josh still held his hand onto his face, gripping the skin hard enough to create small incisions with his fingernails.

_ “He saw it. Face. HE saw! Scared, like the woman!” _ Josh’s knees buckled and he hunched over himself in the farthest spot of the alley. Why was Chris so angry? So upset? Josh was finally able to find the course of the source of the sweet scent that carried happiness. Finally able too… but Chris was so angry, angry at him! Why?! Josh didn’t understand, but he didn’t try to return to Chris, and he stayed in the alley, until the sun set and it was dark, crying.

~

* _ beep beep beep _ *

Chris groaned and rolled over, turning the ringer off his cell. Even though he had slept through the night, he didn’t feel like he had slept a wink. Completely exhausted.

“A nightmare?” Assuming it was all just a nightmare would’ve been easier, but of course, the little piece of cloth he had ripped from Josh’s face was still there, clenched in his hand.

“Too easy huh, to think it was just a dream…” Chris sighed heavily and sat up on the couch. He had extremely conflicting emotions going on inside of him at that moment;  _ “Why did Josh come back after everything he did?”  _ and  _ “What happened to him during this past year we all thought he was dead?” _

Anger and worry. Piling up into frustration and guilt. As he kept thinking his headache got worse, slowly making him even more exhausted.

He decided to call his boss, “Hey, Chris! What's up? Aren’t you supposed to be here in like, an hour?”

Chris listened and replied in a hoarse tone, “Hey, I was just about to ask you about that. Mind if I take a personal day today? I feel like shit and I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to come into work.”

“Shit, yeah, go ahead and take the day. You sound like shit. The hell happened?”

“Just stuff I guess, it’s hard to explain…” Chris hoped that he would just take his word for it and let it be.

“Well, I guess that’s it. You’re a good kid, been through a lot. Get better and then get your ass back up here, okay?” His boss is a nice, but stern lady. She’s got an idea of what happened so she lets him get away with a lot.

Chris laughed and hung up the phone, plopping back down onto the couch. Again, lifting the piece of cloth into the air, examining it closely.

He decided to go to the store because he’s gotta eat something, and on his way back he notices a change in the sky. Soon after reaching his apartment, it begins to rain.

“Did the weather say something about rain today?”

At first, he paid no mind to it. But the rain didn’t let up. An hour after the rain started, Chris was getting slightly worried, or anxious, rather. “If he didn’t have anywhere to stay, he’d come back here? Right? Even if he knew I was pissed at him. And his parents, he could be there!”

Chris remembered the look of pure horror of Josh’s face when the cloth came off. The keloid scar across the left side of his face. The weirdly jagged and sharp teeth replacing what should be his lips, and his right eye. It was all fogged out like he was blind in that eye… though Chris would have remembered an important detail like that.

“All that shit must have happened while he was up there. If we didn’t get all the wendigos, there’s no telling what the hell happened. I mean, when I went back, he was gone. We all thought he was dead?! But he was here yesterday! So we left him up there alone with those things for an ENTIRE YEAR!? We couldn’t take one night, and he? He’s been up there this whole damn time!?”

Chris’ guilt got to him as he paced back and forth. What was hatred and anger was turning into self-hatred and a guilty conscience.

“Dammit all!” Chris yelled once before throwing his coat on and storming out his door.


	4. Maybe a Haircut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Chris' guilt latches onto him, he goes out to look for Josh in the rain. This time though, Josh isn't a fan of seeing Chris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter four, please enjoy ^^

It was cold... but it was different from before. Josh could stand the cold in the mountains, it didn’t bother him, but ever since he got to meet Chris, he was really cold.

Josh was in the back of an alleyway, and he didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know how to read the signs, so he doesn’t even know where to begin. It was all foriegn to him. He was lost in a city full of people.

Every now and then, he’d hear someone shuffling close by, in a window, or on the sidewalk, and he’d flinch farther into the corner. Scared of every movement being made. He sat there for a long time, and then, it began to rain.

Little drops at first, but then it began to pour.

The cold began to worsen as he sat outside in the rain. His body wasn’t cold. Even though it was winter, and even though it was raining, his body wasn’t cold. But inside, he felt so dreadfully cold.

Josh was feeling a little tired, so he laid his head against the side of a building and dozed off. Right before he was about to fall asleep, tires screeched, tearing away any sleepiness that was lingering.

Scared, Josh hunched down, making himself look smaller. Less noticable. Whatever it was, he didn’t want anything to do with it.

“-osh! JOSH! Oh man, thank god I found you!”

Josh was confused, and scared. When Chris tried to get closer to Josh, he panicked and quickly shuffled to the other side of the alley, once again covering his face.

Stunned, Chris looks over at him, “What the hell man? Earlier you were so excited to see me, and now you don’t even want me to touch you?” 

He thought about the previous encounter he had with Josh and sighed, “Yeah, I probably deserve that. I was pissed, and said a lot of stuff. But it’s okay now, alright? I’m not even mad about it anymore!” Chris gave his biggest grin he could and leaned down to Josh’s level.

Josh seemed to calm down ever so slightly, but very on guard. When Chris reached out to Josh to touch him, he got scared and slapped his hand away, shocking Chris.

But Chris wasn’t the only one shocked. Josh acted before he could even think, so it was an even more shock to him. When he looked at the hand he smacked away, there was a trace of red where he broke the skin. Even more scared, he looked back at Chris, and shrunk himself down even more, tucking his hands in between his legs and chest.

Chris was more shocked about the complete retraction of Josh’s body than the actual wound on his hand,  _ “How could someone so cheerful and playful change so much in a year…?” _

If there was any anger left in Chris, it was definitely gone then, it was like Josh has turned into a completely different person. Someone who was once so confident had turned so scared and frail.

_ “Was he always this small? I mean, I know I definitely weighed more than him last year, but we were the same height…” _ Chris was lost in thought, but Josh was beyond terrified.

_ “Why? Why is he here? Chris? Are you angry again?” _ Josh’s words only came out in small chatters and it translated directly into fear in Chris’ eyes.

Chris sighed and looked back up at Josh, who was also looking at him. When their eyes met, Josh quickly looked away, closing his eyes.

“Aw man, guess it’s plan B…” Chris stood up quickly, startling Josh.

He reached down to pick up Josh, much to his disapproval, and threw him over his shoulders.

“Damn dude, what’d you do? Lose fifty pounds? You don’t weigh a thing!” Chris turned around and began walking towards his car, Josh struggling and pulling against his captors weight, to no avail.

~

The way back to Chris’ apartment was slow and quiet. Except for the momentary sounds coming from Josh in the back seat.

Having a two door car meant that when Chris put Josh in the back seat, there wasn’t really a way Josh could escape him. So he was forced to stay in the car, small whimpers and chattering coming from his mouth.

Chris looked in his rearview mirror to see Josh, and he didn’t really see Josh. Or what he knew to be Josh. he had the same face, just scared and pale, but he seemed so different. But not so different that he wasn’t able to see that it was him at a glance.

When Chris pulled into the apartment complex, Josh was getting anxious, more than before.

“Come on, settle down Josh. It’s okay this time, I promise.” Chris hopped out of the front seat of the car and let Josh out of the back seat. Or, tried to, at least.

No matter how much Chris beckoned him, Josh wouldn’t come to him from the other side of the car. Whimpering and chattering, not looking at Chris in the face. A little impatient, Chris grabbed Josh again and threw him over his shoulders, carrying him into the house.

When they got inside, Chris sat Josh down and shut the door. “Look, Josh. I know earlier went bad, really bad. But I’m over it now so it’s fine. You can calm down, and I’m not angry anymore.”

Feeling a little better, Josh walked around the room, smelling the interior. Quickly, Josh calmed down.

“Alright, Josh. You need a shower. Pronto. Cause if my guess is right, you haven’t had a shower in a damn year, you gotta be completely fucking filthy man.”

Chris jumped up off the couch and walked toward Josh, making him jump slightly. He raised his hand and touched Josh’s hair, “Maybe a haircut too.”


	5. I'm Glad You're Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh is a little different, but it doesn't bother Chris in the least. Honestly, Chris is kind of enjoying it. Just a little.

Josh had been in the bathroom for over an hour and it was beginning to worry Chris,  _ “Why the hell is this taking him so long?” _ And then he thought about the day before when Josh had leapt through the window in the living room.

“Shit! He didn't jump out again, did he?” Chris ran into his bedroom toward the bathroom door and slammed it open.

In front of the mirror was Josh. Not clothed and not showered. Immediate embarrassment hit Chris, but it was quickly wiped clean when all the marks on Josh’s body became noticeable.

Pale skin, with little color. A large gash on his back, looked like claw marks, small ones on his arms and legs, not even starting on his face. It all looked so painful to Chris, and it drove his guilt straight into his heart even deeper.

Josh picked up on the face Chris was giving him and walked toward him, eyeing him slowly. Then, he hugged Chris tightly, a wide jagged smile plastered on his face.

The sudden touch ratio cleared Chris’ brain and he was embarrassed again. “C’mon man, what have you been doing in here? You still haven’t taken a shower.”

Chris walked out of the room, frustrated. A small shade of pink on his face.

After Chris walked out of the bathroom, Josh continued what he was doing. He got underneath the warm water and all the dirt and dried blood washed away.

~

When Josh was finished with the shower, he left the bathroom with the same coat he came in wearing.

Chris looked over and shook his head, “You can’t wear that! It’s dirty, not to mention soaked!”

He fought with Josh to take the coat off, and eventually won. With the coat off, Josh was now naked again. The shade of pink gradually returned to Chris’ face.

Now that Josh had gotten out of the cold, and showered, some of the natural tan had come back. And all the blood and grim gone was also a plus. Chris had forgotten how good looking Josh actually was. Shaking his head from his thoughts, he led Josh back into his bedroom to look for some clothes.

Everything Chris handed Josh was thoroughly inspected, and promptly rejected. “Bro, you gotta wear something, you are not gonna walk around my apartment naked as hell!”

But Josh didn’t seem too amused in the clothes being handed to him, so Chris was about to give up. Then Josh picked up a shirt and promptly began trying to put it on.

“Hey! Isn’t that the shirt I wore to bed the other night? You can’t wear that, it’s dirty and it was on the floor.” Even with Chris’ objections, he wasn’t able to get the shirt away from Josh. Every time he’d reach for it, he jerked away or just simply walked away from him.

“Alright! Fine, you can wear the damn shirt! But you will wear a pair of clean boxers!” Josh smiled again and hugged Chris, chattering away with his incoherent speaking.

“Now that that’s out of the way, sit down so I can trim and dry your hair.” Josh quickly sat down and waited for Chris’ next instructions.

_ “Boy, why do I feel like I brought home a loft dog rather than a guy?” _ Chris sighed and stood behind Josh, quickly trimming up his hair, and then drying it.

While he was drying Josh’s hair, Chris began to hear a loud humming noise from Josh. “Hey man, you good? What the hell is that?”

When Chris walked around the couch in front of Josh, Josh nuzzled his head into the crook of Chris’ neck, a loud purring emanating from his throat.

“Well.” Chris swallowed hard, “This is new. I mean the scars and you not talking is new, but this is a new kind of new.”

Josh wrapped his arms and legs around Chris as he continued to push his face father into the crook of Chris’ neck.

It tickled him, but it was more embarrassing than anything. A grown man clinging to him and purring above all else, Chris felt like he was losing touch with reality.

“Alright, time for bed. Come one.” Chris carried a very enthusiastic Josh into his bedroom and sat him down.

“Okay, you sleep here, and I’ll take the couch, okay?” Chris started to walk away but was promptly stopped by Josh. He turned around to see a devastated face from Josh. The humming had stopped and Josh was no longer smiling.

“Dammit, fine. I’ll stay in here.” Chris didn’t want to admit it, but it was getting really hard to be around Josh the way he was. He couldn’t say no to him at all.

After getting settled in the bed, Josh laid next to Chris, almost going to sleep the instant he hit the pillow, low vibrations coming from his throat.  _ “Ahhh, you’re killing me Josh!” _ Chris smacks his cheeks a little and rolls over looking at Josh as he sleeps.

“I know it's kind of late… and I don’t know if it's even worth anything, but I’m glad you didn’t die… and I’m glad you’re alright.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed.


	6. Blush and Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day was going great, until it wasn't...

Chris woke up to the sound of his blaring alarm once again. When he checked his phone he immediately tossed his phone back onto the bed, “Why the hell do I have my alarm on, I don’t even work today!”

He starts to move his other arm to stretch, but is blocked by something heavy weighing on him.

Chris looked under his blanket to find Josh had moved from the right side of the bed to his chest. Josh’s chest rising and falling slowly with his slow, easy breaths. Chris wanted to move, it was getting uncomfortable not being able to move freely. He reached over to lift Josh up slightly so that he could at least move his arm from underneath Josh. Being careful so he wouldn’t wake him up.

When he moved his arm, Josh shuffled in place, stretching his arms and legs, small vibrations from his chest. 

Chris’ heart couldn’t take much more, a shade of pink on his face. He wasn’t expecting to see his best bro ever again after walking down that mountain. At first, he really didn’t want to see him. But after Josh reappeared, all anger subsided.

Deep in thought, he didn’t notice that their legs had intertwined with one another, and soon after he felt one of Josh’s legs between his own.

Lowering the blanket back down, he slapped his hands to his face. A darker shade of pink appearing.

Moving his arms back down, he moved the blanket again, “Josh, come one. It’s time to get up.”

Josh sits up and opens his eyes slowly, eyes meeting with Chris’ eyes underneath him. He gave Chris a toothy grin and leaned back down to hug him, pushing his face into the crook of Chris’ neck, chirping softly.

~

After the both of them got up, Chris had figured out some important details. He had figured out there were some obvious differences that Josh had; words had been replaced by small noises and chattering, Josh had become way more touchy after coming back, and he also had severe problems if left alone. Every time Chris would try to leave the apartment, he was either not far behind or  _ very  _ against Chris leaving.

Not knowing what to do, Chris called Josh’s parents.  _ “I’m assuming they have so fucking clue their half-wild son has emerged from the woods.” _

The phone call was brief but emotionally draining. Between the many unanswered questions and the disbelief; on top of the sobbing and confused looks Chris would get from Josh, who was never too far from him.

The day was slow, but peaceful. That is, until Josh had a fit.

He had been calm and cheerful since Chris had brought him into the apartment, so it came as a big surprise when Josh started acting out all of the sudden.

_ “Go ahead and eat him, Josh. He’s not a friend, he’s only a source of food for you when you're hungry. Go ahead, take a bite, I know he would just be delectable… The skin tearing away at his flesh, and his warm blood trickling down the sides of his body. DO IT! I KNOW YOU WANT TO!” _

The same crackled voice echoed in the back of Josh’s mind, not letting him a moment of peace.

He was starting to get hungry after not eating anything for several hours and was unable to come up with something to eat,

He wasn’t sure what to eat anyway, since everything he ate in the woods wasn't exactly deemed ‘appropriate,’ and it’s not like he remembered a lot of anything that happened anyway. If he had any nightmares, he’d forgotten all about them when he got up in the mornings.

Josh paid no mind to it for as long as he could, but after the morning, a sharp pang of hunger enveloped his entire body. He could deal with it as long as he didn’t think about it, but when Chris had returned from the store, the willpower he had diminished almost instantly.

Rather than a friendly hug or a happy face, Josh looked deranged and feral. He ran at Chris and bit harshly into Chris’ shoulder, causing him to drop everything he was holding and fall to the ground.

Unable to make a complete bite in one go, Josh released and quickly bit back down onto the same spot. Completely stunned and in pain, Chris shoved Josh away from him harshly. When Chris looked down at his shoulder, blood came gushing out quickly and the searing pain was becoming unbearable.

Looking back to where he shoved Josh, he noticed that the lower half of his face was smeared in blood. His teeth chattering slowly, eyes wild.

It was nothing like the Josh Chris had woke up to that morning, or even the scared Josh from the alley; it was like he was in front of a monster.

Unmoving, Josh prepares to make another lunge for Chris; but he shoves him into the side of the couch so he misses Chris by a hair. “What the fuck is going on with you Josh? Something happened while I was gone?”

The blood gushing out farther, a small pool forms at the bottom of his arm where his palm is. Chris tries to push himself up to stand but slips in the pool and falls against the door; then hitting the floor. He rubs the back of his head and begins to move, but before he could do anything Josh had jumped on top of him, the room filling with chattering and quiet screeching. Which was gradually getting louder.

Josh lunges down to go for another attack, Chris forcing his eyes shut. But there’s no pain. When Chris opens his eyes, he sees a familiar pair of calm green eyes.

  
  


“-hris…” A small sound escapes Josh’s quivering lips as he backed up from Chris’ face, a tear falling from his face.

Josh backed as far as he could from Chris and hugged his knees, “Wrong, it’s wrong. Something’s wrong!”

He continued to mumble in small broken sentences, the first words that actually came out of his mouth during his stay. They were coarse and raspy, as if he hadn’t said a word in ages; like he’d been screaming for days on end.

Without a second thought, Chris opens the door to leave. “Josh, don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back soon, so don’t try to leave. I’ll just bring you back here.” And with that, the door shut behind him.

His voice was stern, but smooth; a tone Josh had only heard once before. When was it? 

_ “At the mountain. Where they left you. Remember? At the barn, where they cursed and called you a murderer? You should have just killed him while he was here!” _

A whispering voice echoed in Josh’s mind. It always whispered quiet threats, but after coming here, the voice was directed toward Chris.  _ “But I don’t want to just Chris! He hasn’t done anything to me!” _

Tears came pouring down Josh’s face and he pushed himself farther into a corner.


	7. Hospital Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris hurries to the hospital, but ends up staying longer than he wants. He gets back to his apartment late, but where is Josh?

Chris huffed as he hopped into his car, putting his seatbelt on and pulling off as fast as he could. He needed medical attention quickly. If the bleeding kept up, he’d pass out behind the wheel.

When he got to the hospital, he quickly ran up to the front desk. “I need to see a doctor, like, now.”

The woman kept her eyes on her paper, not looking up to Chris but tapped on a form, “Fill out the form and return it here, your file will be recorded immediately and you’ll be seen as quickly as they can see you.”

“I might not be alive that long, dammit! I’ve got a serious injury on my shoulder!” 

The woman looked up from her desk, shocked. “Well I’ll be damned, what the hell happened to you? Looks like you got a whole chunk of your arm torn to shreds.”

“Uh, an animal or something while I was up by the woods outside of town. Maybe fifteen minutes North?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t pass out behind the damn wheel, why the hell didn’t you call an ambulance or something? You trying to die?”

Chris chuckled and was shoved into a closeby room, the woman clicked her tongue and walked out the door, passing a man. “The doctor is right here. Explain everything to him, I’ve got a mess to clean up.”

“Alright Sir, feeling any faintness at all? How much blood would you say you’ve lost?” The doctor snapped on some gloves and got closer.

“Uh, I’m not sure how much blood, but I don’t really feel all that faint. If anything, I’m gonna pass out from the pain and not blood loss.”

The doctor chuckled, “Well, I know it isn’t very welcoming, but the pain is a good sign. You aren’t in any immediate danger.” He cut off the sleeves to Chris’ coat and shirt and examined his shoulder.

“Well, it looks like all the bleedings stopped, and it isn’t actually as bad as you might think. There was no damage to any immediate veins, so you weren’t in any danger with this bite. Although… you’ve got to be in a hell of a lot of pain, I can order x-rays, but I’m sure you’ve got a fractured bone here.”

Chris sighed, “Any idea how long I’ll be here? I kinda need to get back home soon.”

The doctor peered at him from the corner of his eyes and took off his glasses, placing them in his pocket, “Son, I’ll be surprised if you're not here shorter than 2 hours. You’re gonna need x-rays, bandages, sutures, an IV bag and some blood work if you said you were attacked by an animal. There’s no telling if the animal had any diseases.”

“Any way you can get all that done in like, an hour?”

The doctor stepped back, “We’re a hospital, we treat patients, we don’t work magic.” He grabbed his bag with supplies and began to work.

~

After what felt like forever, Chris was sitting on a hospital bed with an IV drip to his arm,  _ “dammit, I don’t need to be here! If there’s nothing wrong, I’ll just go back!” _

Chris stood up, carefully removing the IV from his hand. Interrupted by the doctor, “Where’s the fire Chris? Your bloodwork isn’t even back yet. I’ve got some questions too.”

Chris sent the doctor a glare as he continued, “See these? This is your shoulder right now. Looks like it was only a small fracture, so no permanent damage. On the inside at least. Your flesh was torn terribly, so unfortunately there will be a large scar there. But that’s not what concerns me.”

“Uh-huh, and what is it that’s got you so concerned? It was an animal. I already told you.”

“Yes, you have. Plenty. But do you see this image? If you look here on the side, you’ll see that the bite imprints are strange. On the left side, the teeth are dull, almost like a human has bitten you. There’s not a whole lot of tissue damage there. Though for some reason, on the right side, the flesh has been ripped apart expertly. Like a wolf, or a coyote had done it. So you tell me Chris, what has me so concerned?

“Like I told the nurse, and like I’m telling you now. I didn’t see whatever attacked me. The sun was setting and I couldn’t see shit out there. As soon as the thing clamped down on my shoulder, I started punching the hell out of it. When it let go, I took off like a bat out of hell to my car and drove off as fast as I could.”

Chris shuffled off of the bed, adjusting his new clothes, “Now, if possible, can I leave now? It’s not like I can’t walk or anything.”

“Yes… It would appear so. Since you  _ are _ able to move freely I can’t legally keep you here if you don’t want to, I’ll bring your forms. If anything worsens, just come back here, and take these to prevent infection or severe swelling.”

The doctor handed Chris a sheet of paper, “Just hand that to the woman at the front desk, I’ll bring her your discharge papers for you to sign. Good day, Chris.”

As soon as the doctor walked out, Chris immediately left the room. He got to the front desk and slapped the piece of paper down onto the counter, “Doctor says I need these and you got a paper for me to sign?”

“You sure you need to be leaving, you looked pretty bad out there.” The woman spoke while she printed documents and stamped them.

“Here’s your meds, and here’s the form. Medicine should be taken daily. Either morning or nights; preferably with food.” Chris signed the paper, grabbed the bag, and took off. He was already gone for a long time, he needed to get back to his apartment asap.   
  


~

When Chris arrived at the door, he fumbled his keys in his hand. He moved his shoulder wrong and dropped the keys, hissing from the pain.

When he went to pick them up, he heard shuffling from inside. He quickly unlocked the door and stepped in, almost slipping in the semi-dry and sticky pile of blood underneath his foot. 

“Well that’s just great, guess I’ll just leave my shoes here then.”

He removed his shoes and walked around the dark and quiet apartment. Moving slowly and trying not to make so much noise.

“Josh?” Chris whispered, stepping passed the living room, looking into his bedroom. The door was cracked.

He pushed the door open slowly, switching the light on. The light hurt for a moment and Chris had to cover his face, but when his eyes adjusted he started to look around the room.

Josh was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t on the bed, in the bathroom, or the closet. He was about to leave the apartment to go look for Josh, but he heard shuffling again. From his bedroom.

He walked back in, suspicious. “Josh? You here?” He walked around some more. Confused, he sat on his bed.

*oompf*

“What the hell?” Chris stood back up and looked under his bed, seeing the back of very noticeable locks of brown hair.


	8. Noodles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh was devastated. He had gone off the deep end actually attacked Chris. The one person that made him feel safe.

After Chris had left the apartment, only guilt and dread was on Josh’s mind. He had actually hurt Chris. Not out of fear like before, Josh had been completely out of control.

But, he was just so… so hungry.

_ “Then eat. What’s wrong with eating when you’re hungry? It’s not like you haven’t done it before.” _

Josh flinched at the reminder, “No, wasn’t my fault. Didn’t mean too!” He had begun to cry once more when the thoughts set in, there was a time before… When he had eaten another person.

It was a rescue crew. They were on the look for missing persons; it was himself and another, but he can’t remember who.

One thing Josh did remember clearly, was the memory of the two emergency rescuers. They had only come to help, and yet he-

_ “You what, Joshy? What happened on that night? Do you remember? Smashing their skulls!? Breaking BONES!? Or… what about the taste of their flesh? You remember it, right? JOSH?! HAHAHA!” _

“NO! Quit reminding me! Not doing it ever again!”

_ “And what were you doing earlier then, if not repeating what you did in the mountain?” _

Josh shook in his clothes, he knew what would’ve happened if he had continued. He definitely would’ve killed Chris; with his thick blood pouring from the wound on his arm. Sickly sweet meat being torn to shreds.

Josh’s fingers quivered around his face; he felt as if he was on the edge of a mountain and was slowly being forced off by something he couldn’t understand.

*jingle*

Josh turned to the door quickly; terrified. He scurried away from the living room into the bedroom.

“Well that’s just great, guess I’ll just leave my shoes here then.” The voice was quiet by the door, but it was definitely Chris, he was back in the apartment.

Josh quickly looked for a place to hide; he was too scared to look Chris in the face after what he had done to him. He went to try and open the window, but it wouldn’t budge. Hearing footsteps getting closer, he made his way to the bed quickly hiding underneath.

When Chris came into the room, he whispered for Josh to come out, but Josh didn’t answer him. He couldn’t. When the steps left the room, he slowly crawled out underneath. Slowly, but not careful enough. He knocked something off the dresser next to the bed, making a sound.

“Josh? You there?” He quickly reinstated his position underneath the bed, not making a sound.

The door to the bedroom creaked open again, not saying anything else.

When Chris made his way to the side of the bed, he sighed and plopped down onto the mattress. Caught off guard, Josh unintendedly let out a sound.

“What the hell?” Chris barked.

When he looked under his bed, it was impossible not to notice that it was Josh’s back he was looking at.

“Whatcha doing down there, Josh?” Chris beamed. He noticed that Josh didn’t move when his name was called; so he walked to the other side of the bed and looked underneath.

Surprised, Josh avoided the other’s eyes and kept his view low; eyes slipping back for milliseconds to see if Chris was still there.

He grinned, “Don’t you think the bed would be more comfortable, instead of laying underneath on the hardfloor?”

With still no movement, he stood up and walked out the bedroom door. Waiting on the other side. Very slowly, Josh peeked out from underneath the bed, eyes peeled.

“Where?” Josh mumbled to himself and he slowly moved himself from under the bed.. He didn’t think Chris would leave so easy, it was the same guy who hauled him off on his back.

As he started looking around the room with a puzzled look, an arm grabbed him from behind. Frightened, Josh nearly jumps away.

“Alright man, no more hiding. It’s kind of ridiculous. You haven’t eaten anything and neither have I, so I’ll make us something to eat and then we can go to bed.”

Standing in place, Josh just hugged his shoulder, looking everywhere but to Chris.

“Josh? Kitchen, we are going to get some food. Now.” Chris was more stern than usual. He felt like if he didn’t say it loud and clear, Josh would hole himself up and not come out.

“Mkay…”

Satisfied with Josh’s reply, Chris practically drags him into the kitchen.

“Now unfortunately because of…” Chris looked up, “Unforeseen circumstances, half of the stuff I bought spoiled because they needed to be refrigerated. Only thing I can give you right now is, let’s see… instant noodles or leftovers from yesterday morning.”

Face riddled with guilt, Josh couldn’t bring himself to answer. Though the instant noodles sounded better than whatever Chris had in his fridge.

Against Josh’s wish, his stomach howled, earning a chuckle from Chris.

Catching a glimpse of the other’s face, Josh pouted, “Noodles.”

Chris laughed again with his hands in the air, “Alright, fair enough. I wouldn’t want the leftovers either man. Sit down, it shouldn’t take long for these to finish, so you don’t need to linger around.”

Josh didn’t listen, and leaned against the counter, watching the blonde work. Seeing Chris fine after what happened earlier made him frown.

_ “Why’s he not angry at me? I was completely out of control and he’s acting like we had an argument. No, even less than that. Like nothing happened.” _

When Chris caught Josh staring, he blushed a little, “Hey man, I know there’s a lot to look at, but stop staring will ya?”

Josh blushed at his comment and immediately turned around. Shocked, Chris nearly dropped the pot of boiling water, burning his hand.

“Ahh, dammit.” Chris cursed at himself, a warm blush carpeting his cheeks.

~

The both of them ate in silence, tv in the background. But even without speaking, Chris could tell Josh was enjoying his food.

He had become easy to read, very easy. Almost everything Josh did was accompanied by a near sound or extremely exaggerated facial expression. It wasn’t all that different from before, aside from all the sounds Josh had acquired, and the purring especially.

After finishing, Josh had a satisfied look on his face as he leaned back against the couch. Seeing Josh like this, it was almost impossible to think that he had attacked Chris not even 6 hours ago.

None of it minded Chris though, but he had to agree that Josh might end up needing help. While he acted normal for the most part, he didn’t speak that well anymore. Whether it was all the scarring on his face or he forgot about it when he was alone on the mountain for a whole year. Either way, it made Chris feel a pang of guilt.

Chris thought hard, while he stared at Josh’s face,  _ “But he speaks a little. I mean, I catch a little every now and then. Mostly broken up sentences, but I know he can speak if he wants to…” _

Josh had caught Chris looking at his face and immediately slapped his hand to his face. It had become a habit; whenever Chris looked at him, he didn’t want him to see the left side of his face.

Frowning, Chris scolded, “I told you, you don’t have to cover up your face in front of me. I’ve already seen it, and it doesn’t bother me.”

He pulled Josh’s hand away from his face, keeping Josh’s eyes locked with his own. Josh’s eyes had always been a unique green, and Chris was fond of them. It’s too bad one of them was half fogged out, it took away it’s color.

He raised his other arm to touch the scar on Josh’s face. It was rougher than Chris thought it would be, but his face was still warm. Adjusting to the sudden touch, Josh looked toward Chris’ arm and then back up at Chris’ face, bewildered.

“You don’t have to be so scared, I’m not mad at you, and I wasn’t earlier. So it’s alright.”

Chris’ voice was smooth and calming, it relaxed Josh. Hesitantly, he leaned into Chris’ hand, which was also warm. Tears had begun to form in Josh’s eyes. Before they could fall, Chris wiped them away, telling Josh again that it’d be ok.

When Chris pulled away from Josh’s face, Josh was a little disappointed. It was warm and he liked to be close to Chris.

Chris sat on the sofa next to Josh, eyeing both the tv and Josh. Not liking the loss of touch, Josh climbed onto Chris’ lap and wrapped his arms around him; again pushing his face into the side of Chris’ neck. It was warm and made him feel safe. He smelled musky but sweet at the same time. The scent made Josh think nothing else in the world mattered.

Chris was surprised but did nothing to stop it, also enjoying the touch between them. He returned the hug Josh gave him, rubbing his back.

Josh hugged him a little tighter, purring lightly.


	9. Farewell for Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh meets his parents for the first time in a year. After thinking on it, Josh makes an important decision.

During the week, Josh’s parents came to see Josh. It was the first time they had seen Josh in a little over a year. It was emotional; for one of them at least. Josh had shown extreme signs of amnesia and couldn’t remember with mother or father.

The both of them had suggested some therapy and some other medical help since it seemed like there were some major differences with Josh. Chris was happy that Josh would get some help, but it also meant that Josh would have to be away for a while.

“ _ In order for Josh to get better, I’ll have to agree to it. I mean, I can’t really tell Josh’s parents that they can’t take him. So I’ll just have to convince Josh.”  _ Even while thinking this, Chris was really just trying to convince himself. He didn't want Josh to leave again.

While everyone was pushing toward Josh getting better, Josh didn’t want to leave the apartment. Things had been smoothed out between him and Chris, and he enjoyed being there.

“Alright, I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go use the bathroom right quick.” Chris told Josh's parents and left to the bedroom.

It was awkward for Josh, because he didn’t exactly remember who they were, but it was especially awkward for his parents. When they'd try to start a conversation or look at him; he just gave them a kind of far away look. They had also begun to notice the scars; mostly the long one across his face.

They weren’t scared to look at it, but it made the both of them feel a strong sense of unease and worry. This projected onto Josh and made him feel especially uncomfortable.

He covered his face and walked away, “I’m going in there…”

Josh didn’t want to be in the room with two people who couldn’t even look him in his eyes. It was like they were terrified of him; and they tiptoed around him like he would shatter. Which made the mood even worse.

When Josh got into the bedroom, he saw Chris in the bathroom mirror. When he goto closer; he saw that Chris was changing the bandages on his arm.

“Hey Josh, whatcha doing? Get too awkward in there? Must be. They're almost like strangers right now, but you’ll remember them soon. I’m sure of it.”

Everything Chris said went out Josh’s other ear. The only thing he was processing was the bloodied bandages and the medical supplies littering the bathroom counter. He didn’t want to go, but he might have too… What if something like yesterday had happened again, but worse? What if Chris doesn’t make it to the hospital in time?

Chris finished changing his bandages and slipped his shirt back on, leaving Josh in the bedroom.

“I’m not sure, Mr and Mrs. Washington, I’ll have to convince him somehow. He’s changed alot since he showed up at my front door. But I think there’s only so much I can do for him… I don’t really want him to leave, but I’m sure you’ll have to take him from here.” Chris chuckled sadly.

Just when his parents were about to leave, Josh came back out of the bedroom. He looked a little sad as he spoke. “I’ll go… For Chris.”

His parents were happy that he had changed his mind and Chris was too, maybe. Happy that he was going to get help but also sad that he would have to see him go. 

No one there really knew how long it was going to take for Josh to get better, but they all smiled, keeping the thoughts to themselves.

Josh’s parents left the apartment first, so that they would say bye for now.

“Hey, just think about it Josh, you’ll be better and maybe you can remember your parents again, and everyone else!”

The thought didn’t really appeal to Josh, since he didn’t have a lot of memories of it, there wasn’t anything to miss in the first place. But he didn’t want to have another freak-out like before and attack Chris.

Josh hugged Chris again, tightening his grip. He pressed into the crook of Chris’ neck one final time. He didn’t know when he’d be able to come back, so he took in as much of Chris as he could.

After finally letting go of Chris, he waved bye and got into the car. Chris continued to smile up until the car was out of sight. Then he walked back into his apartment and shut the door.

He crouched down and sighed, “How long is he gonna be long this time, I wonder.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See what I did there. (*´ω｀*)


	10. Joshy's Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After six months in a hospital, Josh is finally allowed to leave. He immediately heads to Chris' apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing this chapter, Josh is a little smug boy! (～￣▽￣)～

It had been six months since Josh had left Chris’ apartment. He hadn’t heard a word from Josh or his parents. He didn’t have any contact information other than his parents’ number but he didn’t want to bother them.

He had also agreed to let Josh get some help; honestly if he had contact with Josh, it’d probably just make it worse for him.

Work was going as smoothly as it could’ve gone. For the most part, Chris did his work without problems but every now and then he’d have a rough day. On days such as these, he might end up getting sent home early. Today just happened to be one of those days.

The drive home was quiet, very quiet. Chris had begun to hate the music on the radio, including the advertisements that riddled the stations. Everything sounded so upbeat and annoying.

When he pulled into the apartment parking lot, a neighbor waved. He hadn’t the slightest clue who the woman was, but he smiled at her and returned the wave. 

Not returning someone’s wave was kind of a big no in an apartment complex, at least his was. Since everyone was so close by, everyone practically knew each other. At least it seemed like everyone knew one other. They always stopped to speak with each other like they were lifelong friends.

He never understood it, but returned every wave with a smile because he didn’t want to hear the complaining of anyone there.

Chris shut the door behind him and tossed his jacket to the counter. He was tired. Not physically, but mentally, he was drained. It felt like everything drained him, so he never left his apartment unless he had to leave for work or get more food.

He walked up to the fridge and looked inside. “Imagine that, I don’t have a damn thing in here.” He sighed and shut the fridge.

To forget the troubles of his day, Chris took a hot shower. It didn’t matter how stressful his day was, or how tired, taking a shower somehow washed it all away.

The knob squeaked as it turned off, it was a high pitched and annoying sound, but Chris actually had never bothered to get it fixed. He actually liked having the sound now.

He wrapped his towel around his waist and walked into his bedroom and checked time, “Already three? Was I in the shower for two hours? Damn I need to get a hold of time.”

He chuckled slowly and plopped onto his bed. One thing he wasn’t tired of was sleeping. Did Chris sleep too much, maybe. But it always made him feel better.

He looked at his phone again and saw the date, “Been half a year too, man I REALLY need to get a hold on time.”

It’s not like the past six months had flown by, but Chris hadn’t even been keeping track. A week, a day, or a month; it was all beginning to feel the same to Chris.

He sat his phone down on his dresser and closed his eyes,  _ “Wonder what Josh is doing right about now. Who am I kidding, he’s with his family; must’ve remembered them by now…” _

He rolled to his side and huffed, trying to fall asleep.

~

“Well Josh, you’ve definitely improved exponentially. You’ve gotten everything you need done here completed, I don’t see a reason to keep seeing you anymore.”

The doctor looked down to his clipboard, “Sorry we couldn’t do much about the whole face situation. All we could do for you is help lower the scar tissue, unless you wanna year dentures in your early twenties, not much we can do about your teeth. Everything else is good though. You completed your therapy and you're taking your meds on time, aren’t you?”

Josh nodded, keeping his eye on the window. He had been in this stupid hospital for the last six months. He isn’t allowed to have visitors other than family, the food sucked, and he was surrounded by wack jobs.

“Josh, are you listening? Josh?”

He turned toward his doctor and just hummed in response. He never liked doctors, but this guy, he takes the cake. He was really annoying and prodded into everything like a worm. He wasn’t even Josh’s therapist so why does he need to know everything going on?

The doctor was his personal doctor, one his parents picked out. He had several nowadays. One for his physical health, mental health, medications, surgical and the list seemed to go on.

“You always have that piss-poor attitude, liven up a little. I know you can speak well; I see you talking to the nurses and other doctors. But you never speak with me, why is that?”

Truth be told, Josh really didn’t feel like acting all buddy buddy with the guy, but it wasn’t the only reason he kept his mouth shut. While he was hospitalized he became self aware, or rather self conscious of his voice. It hadn’t changed, but because of the way his face was scarred, he spoke with a slur or a lisp.

Josh rolled his eyes, “Man, I already told you; I really just do not like you. If I had been able to file for a change of doctors, I would. But I don’t have those rights currently.”

In order for Josh to get the ‘most help’ he could, his parents have everything to do with paperwork, including the choice of doctors. None of it he minded but he had to have this guy as his general doctor?

“Well, if you were listening, I was trying to tell you that I got your discharge papers today. As well as a letter from your mother. But maybe you don’t need them yet?”

What?! Are you kidding me? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He reached his hands out for the documents and his doctor complied.

“On your form, you’ll need to file a set address to where we can send you medication. It will come in a package monthly. Don’t forget to take it, because it won’t end up being good or you. Medicines of your caliber have side effects if you miss a day, so don’t forget.”

Again, he was nagging, of course Josh knew all these things already. He and his parents were told when they signed the form, and the nurses made sure to remind him what would happen if he didn’t take his meds.

“Alright, alright doc, I know. How soon can I leave if I fill this out now?”

“Should be able to leave as soon as tomorrow morning if it’s finished by today. Your parents already signed their part, and mine’s there too. Just waiting for yours.”

Josh jumped out of his seat, “Alright, doc. Just you wait, I'll turn this in and be gone by tomorrow. Won’t be seeing you again.”

Josh practically hit himself with the door on his way out. 

“Silly boy, I’ll still be your doctor even if you leave.” He chuckled, “Well, guess he can have his moment.”

Josh sat on the bench next to the front desk and began to open the papers, the note his mother gave him had something in it along with the letter.

  
  


_ Josh, _

_ We know you hate that place, but you ended up doing a lot better than the doctors thought you would. So you’re able to leave a little earlier than we thought at first. We’re out of town at the moment so we signed the form premature so that you wouldn’t have to wait. _

_ There’s also a key in the envelope, you might have already seen it. It’s the key to the apartment complex Chris lives in. When it was just us, he gave it to us to give to you when you got better. He told us, ‘Josh always has a place to stay if he needs it. I’ll be waiting here.’ I have written Chris’ address below, go ahead and see him. I know it’s all you think about recently. You’ve got a really good friend on your side. _

_ We opened a bank account to help you get started. Use some of it to get back in town. Don’t think we’ll be doing this a lot though. Because now that you’ve got your life back together, get a job! _

_ Don’t be a stranger, come see us back at the house! Bring Chris with you too! We’d love to thank him for everything he’s done. _

_ Love, Mom _

It was just like her to write something like that. He picked up the card and read his name: 

JOSH WASHINGTON

While he hadn’t regained all of his memory, Josh was able to get some of it back. He remembered his love for his parents, and his sisters; he also remembered his friends. Though he doubted any of them really wanted to see him. He pulled some crazy shit, he wouldn’t want to see him either. Seems like they all went their separate ways anyway.

He couldn’t explain why he had only remembered Chris at first, but he was glad he did. Chris made him feel happy.

Josh shoved the key in his pocket and filled out all the paperwork. Going to hand it in to the front desk, “Won’t have to set my meds out for tomorrow! I’ll be outta here!”

The ladies at the counter giggled, “Oh really Josh? Then we’ll pack yours in a bag for you to bring with you.”

Even with everything going on, somehow Josh had become popular within the hospital. People flocked around him and got along well with him.

~

By the next morning, Josh was ready to go. Papers were through and he was ready to leave.

He said bye to everyone and made his way to Chris’ house. The bus ride was long, but not too long. Just enough to make Josh get jittery. He hadn’t seen Chris in six months and he was a little nervous. The people on the bus weren’t helping, they stared at his face whenever they got the chance.

It made Josh feel uneasy so he put on a mask to keep his face covered.

When he got off the bus he realized, “I don’t even know if Chris knows I’m coming, man I need to get a phone. Guess I’ll surprise him when he’s home?”

Josh walked toward the front door and unlocked it, going inside. He sat his things down and slid through the bedroom door.

On the bed was Chris, basically naked, sleeping. Josh’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest, “Oh boy, that’s very risque Chris. Why are you sleeping with nothing but a towel on?”

“Mmm,” Chris rolled over in the sleep, towel barely holding on.

“Kinda hot Chris, making me all fuzzy over here.” Josh took his jacket off and sat on the bed, “Maybe I’ll sleep too, since I couldn’t last night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're back together again, isn't that lovely! ( •̀ ω •́ )✧


	11. Cochise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris rolls over and finds Josh sleeping next to him. Surprised, he jumps up, losing something important. (๑ּగ⌄ּగ๑)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the final chapter of this series, thank you for reading. <(＿ ＿)>

Chris groaned and rolled over, “Why the hell is it so damn cold?” He opened his eyes, to find Josh in the bed next to him, sleeping.

“Josh? What the hell? Am I still asleep?”

Josh rubbed his eyes and sat up, the same bright grin Chris had been wanting to see so badly. “If this is a dream, I wanna stay asleep.”

“Nope, Cochise. Not a dream; just me and you. A lot more of you, but still me and you.” Josh pointed to the towel, now on the bed instead of Chris’ waist, and Chris’s face nearly melts off.

He started grumbling, “Why the hell did I fall asleep without my clothes on dammit. When did you get here, and how did you even get in anyway?”

“Dude, my mom said you handed her a key to your house. I got her letter yesterday, since I was allowed to leave. It said, and I quote ‘Josh always has a place to stay if he needs it. I’ll be waiting here.’ unquote.”

Josh giggles at Chris’ complete and utter embarrassment. It was nice to see Josh laugh a little; and for the other, to see Chris again.

After Chris’ embarrassment died down, he went to put some clothes on. Josh laid out on the bed, looking at the ceiling. He had missed laying in this bed, it was always warm. He turned face down, the scent of body wash and cologne on the bed.

Chris walked out of the bathroom, on his way to the living room. “I don’t have much, but want something to eat?”

Josh jolts up, “Got any noodles?”

“I do, actually. Truth be told, it could very well be the same pack that was there the last time we ate noodles. I’ve been eating takeout for I don’t even know how long.” Chris shuffled out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

Josh quickly followed suit, “Takeout? Don’t tell me you ate takeout for a whole six months?” Josh commented.

Chris only shrugged, “What can I say, I only know how to make sandwiches and noodles. Unless I plan on eating char, I get takeout.”

“Damn bro, we’re definitely gonna have to work on that, I can cook a little. Only simple things though.”

Chris didn’t respond, getting the stuff out to make the noodles.

“You look good, and you talk a lot more. All your color is back too…” Chris said, keeping his eye on what he was doing.

Josh rubbed the back of his head and grinned, “Yeah, I ended up taking some speech therapy. Almost two months of it. Supposedly, I was a quick learner. Still stuck with this slur though; nothing they could do about it since everything was all healed wrong. But they removed some of the dead tissue, so the scar wouldn’t protrude so much. My eye too! It was kinda wonky looking before, but now there’s just a small scarred spot underneath it. My eye still looks a little funny, they said I must have injured my cornea, so I won’t be able to see completely out of my right eye.”

Chris turned toward Josh, “I think it looks fine, adds to your character. The slur is cute so don’t worry about it!”

It was almost adorable how oblivious Chris was to what he said. After he finished his sentence and turned toward the food again, Josh leaned into his elbow, face flushed.

Chris finished the noodles and sat it on the counter. Josh immediately took the bowl and took in a fork full.

“Oh man, Chris. You might have no future cooking, but you got these down! Hospital food ain’t nothing!”

Chris sat down in front of him, eating his own food. He was happy to see Josh again, enjoying himself again. He silently stared at Josh while they ate.

Josh caught eye of it and mocked, “Cochise, making me all fuzzy over here. I might not be able to eat all my food.”

Chris choked on his food, making Josh laugh, “Man I missed seeing your face. I was tired of seeing all those doctors and old people. It’s a breath of fresh air!”

He continued to watch Chris frantically get some water from the tap and gulp it down, “Got any more food in your mouth?”

Chris shook his head, “Well come here, I gotta tell you something.”

Hesitantly, Chris made his way toward Josh, a blush creeping up on his face. A few feet away he stopped, but Joshed kept ushering him on over till they were right next to each other.

Josh looked up and Chris and hugged him, “I think I like you, Cochise. What do you say? Wanna try going out?”

Chris would’ve definitely choked again if he was eating, but thankfully he wasn’t. A confused but embarrassed look on his face, he said nothing.

“I’m being for real. I like being with you, it makes me feel like I’m flying.” Chris looked at Josh’s face, there wasn’t a shroud of doubt in anything he was saying, eyes still piercing green, just like when they had met.

Chris covered his mouth as he spoke, “Yeah, I think I like you too.”

A large smile on his face, Josh hopped up and removed Chris’ hand from his face, “Then that settles in, let’s date!”

Josh was always so straightforward it scared Chris, but not in a bad way. It was relieving. Chris hugged Josh back, and Josh placed his chin to the side of Chris’ neck, returning the hug even tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this ending, it's cute and it wraps everything up. I was surprised when I pumped out 11 chapters in three days, my brain really said -I’ll show you sum real speed-（≧ｙ≦＊）This was my first fanfiction I've ever written and I'm happy that it went so smoothly. I was also thinking of doing a sequel-type deal with some not-so-sfw-things but I don't know yet. It'll be harder for me to write.(。_。) I'll either finish it quickly like this one or take a break and do it slowly. Anyways! Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed! ^^


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